Mary Yochum

My volunteering covers a broad range of activities, and I love every one of them.

— Mary Yochum

Mary was born and raised in Perry, Ohio and moved to Florida in 1966 after graduating from high school. She has lived in Ormond by the Sea ever since. After moving south, Mary worked as a receptionist for 12 years at an Ormond Beach motel and then formed her own business, Atlantic Secretarial Services, which provided administrative support for local companies for eight years. After that, Mary worked as a Department Secretary for Halifax Medical Center for twenty years. Her close friend and Lion's Club Secretary, Barbara "Bobbie" ChehCheh, will join her on the cruise.

Mary has been active with the Ormond by the Sea Lion's Club for eight years currently serving as past President and chairwoman of the Membership Committee. She works largely with hearing and visually impaired people as well as with people having multiple handicaps. To this end, Mary coordinates several fundraising drives each year, which often involve book sales. These fundraising efforts help buy eyeglasses and hearing aids for the visually and hearing impaired. Additionally, Mary is the Lion's District Alert Chairwoman, which means she is responsible for coordinating disaster relief and response efforts in the event of local emergencies like flooding or hurricanes. For her years of service, Mary was recognized as Lion of the Year in 2008 and received the International Presidential Citation for Community Service in 2011.

In addition to her work with the Lion's Club, Mary is a certified CPR instructor teaching CPR at the local firehouse. While she usually conducts the course for the public at the firehouse, she also travels and teaches at churches and schools. Mary has been a volunteer with Volusia County Fire Services since 1982 and an Emergency Medical Technician since 1984. That's where her email handle, "firemary," comes from.

Although Mary is involved with many other projects, she makes time to be an active member of the Riverview United Methodist Church where she is a Certified Lay Servant and Stephen Minister. Says Mary: "I have been given many gifts in my life, and I think it only right to give back to the community as best I can."